I'm With You in Rivendell
by AramisThorongil
Summary: A moment taken from a story about when three girls are sucked into the world of Lord of the Rings and travel along with the characters. The song 'I'm With You' is credited to Avril Lavigne. I do not own any LOTR characters. J.R.R. Tolkien wrote the books.
1. Default Chapter

My songfic: I'm with you  
  
I'm standing on the bridge. I'm waiting in the dark. I thought that you'd be here by now. There's nothing but the rain. No footsteps on the ground. I'm listening but there's no sound.  
  
Jessi stood on a bridge staring down at the smooth flowing river below her. She had been expecting her companions to join her a while ago. But this was Rivendell. Katie would be easily sidetracked. Lisa might be lost. It was a strange and large place they had found themselves in. They had been reading a book and were sucked into the world of Lord of the Rings. They had journeyed with Strider and the hobbits since Bree. The three girls had made loose plans to meet at one of the bridges in the fair elvish city. She was the only one who showed up. It had started to rain softly. She listened carefully for the sound of approaching feet, but heard none.  
  
Isn't anyone trying to find me? Won't somebody come take me home? It's a damn cold night. Trying to figure out this life. Won't you take me by the hand? Take me somewhere new. I don't know who you are, but I.I'm with you. I'm with you.  
  
She had almost fallen asleep on the rail of the bridge, listening to the rain. Someone suddenly appearing next to her and leaning on the rail startled her. She looked at him. It was an elf. He was staring off into the dark. "Hello," she said slowly. He looked at her and smiled. "Hello," he replied, "What are you doing?" She shrugged. "I was waiting for my friends, but I guess they're not coming" He nodded. "Are you upset that they did not come?" he asked. "I suppose not," she answered, "I didn't really think they'd be up to it. We didn't write it in stone that we were going to meet here" He looked at her for a moment. "I'm glad they did not come," he said, "Otherwise I could not talk to you like this" She grinned. "I guess not," she answered, tucking her hair behind her ears, "I'm Jessi" He put his hand to his chest, gesturing to himself. "My name is Lindir," he told her, "Could we go somewhere to talk?" She stood up. "I don't see why not," she answered, "You know anywhere we could go" She trusted him. Anyways, he was an elf. And she was lonely. They went to a room in Elrond's house with a window overlooking their bridge. They talked long into the night, as the flames in the fireplace burned low.  
  
I'm looking for a place. I'm searching for a face. Is there anybody here I know. Cause nothing's going right. And everything's a mess. And no one likes to be alone  
  
The next day Jessi searched for her friends. She still couldn't find them. She had begun to worry. She knew Katie could get into serious trouble if cute guys were involved, which they were. And Lisa would normally have checked in with her at least. She wondered around the large house for hours hoping to see a sign of her friends. But she didn't find any. She was about to give up. All she saw was faces she didn't recognize. She was getting to the end of her patience. She stopped elves in the hall and asked if they had seen them, but no one had. She found herself on an indoor balcony overlooking the main entrance to the building. It was quiet as a tomb. She sank to her knees and held herself up with her hands on the balcony rail. She hung her head in defeat. She didn't want them to be separated. She suddenly felt a hand on one of hers. She looked up to see Lindir. "Still can't find your friends?" he asked and helped her to her feet, "I'll help you look"  
  
Isn't anyone trying to find me? Won't somebody come take me home? It's a damn cold night. Trying to figure out this life. Won't you take me by the hand? Take me somewhere new. I don't know who you are, but I.I'm with you. I'm with you.  
  
They walked down a few halls, only to find them empty or occupied by elves. Jessi had already checked, but they went to the sleeping quarters. "Why are you so intent on finding them now?" Lindir asked. "I was thinking about what still has to be done," she told him, "I need to know what they think we should do to get home. And also, it's not that I don't like the elves, but I think the three of us should probably stay for the most part together. I don't even know how I got here" She broke into tears. "I don't know what's going to happen to us," she sobbed, "I don't know if we even can go home. I wish we could just dismiss this as a bad dream but it's real. And I'm scared right now" She covered her face with her hands. Lindir pulled her to him and let her cry on his shoulder.  
  
Oh! Why is everything so confusing? Maybe I'm just out of my mind. It's a damn cold night. Trying to figure out his life. Won't you take me by the hand? Take me somewhere new. I don't know who you are, but I.I'm with you. I'm with you.  
  
Lindir held her until she finished crying. "Are you alright now?" he asked. She nodded. "I don't think I'll do that again," she told him, as he brushed some of the tears from her face, "I just had a lot of worry bottled up. I'll be okay. I just need to find my friends" He smiled at her. "We'll find them," he assured her, "We just need to keep looking. Everything will turn out all right" She smiled back. She knew it was the truth. He took her hand and they continued their search.  
  
Take me by the hand. Take me somewhere new.  
  
I don't know who you are, but I.I'm with you. I'm with you. Take me by the hand. Take me somewhere new. I don't know who you are, but I.I'm with you. I'm with you. I'm with you. 


	2. My Immortal Boromir

  Ba da! Another moment from Middle Earth.  SPOILERS!!! You have been warned.

RECAP: Through the passing of time Jessi and Boromir grew closer than brother and sister (Not a sick kind of love, ok?). After Gandalf's "death" and after leaving Lorien, the group is stopped along the bank just before the falls. Frodo went off to think, Boromir disappeared, reappeared and stated that Frodo was missing. Everyone scattered to look for him. Sam lost Aragorn and Lisa's trail and left with Frodo. Katie followed Legolas and Gimli in their search and Boromir and Jessi tracked Merry and Pippin. So Frodo and Sam are gone, Aragorn is in his gaga mode in the chair, Legolas, G-man and Katie are off searching which leaves Boromir and Jessi to make the final defense of the other 2 hobbits. Boromir's final stand. I now leave you in the story. Oh yeah. The song 'My Immortal' belongs to Evanescence. Ok…go…

            Tears streamed down both of their faces. Jessi had known it was coming, but never thought it would hurt so badly. "I tried to take the ring from Frodo," Boromir said, his voice was strained by pain and blood rising in his throat. "I know," she said almost soundlessly, "The ring had you, but you're free from it now"

She tried not to break down. "For good it would seem," he said, "I wanted only to protect my city. What hope do we have now?" Jessi almost died from the energy it took to keep her voice steady. 

"Enough," she said more to herself than to him, then she found her surest voice, "Sauron will not win, Boromir. The white city will withstand. You said yourself that Minus Tirith would never bend to his will. Frodo will destroy the ring" Boromir looked at her and she was silent. He saw the truth in her eyes and smiled contently. "You have the heart of a great warrior of Gondor," he told her, as he reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear, "Take the Horn of Gondor. You are a fit keeper" Jessi looked down at Boromir's side. The Horn of Gondor was miraculously unharmed. She lifted it from his hand and held it close to her. "It will again be heard victorious in the city of Minus Tirith," she promised him. He smiled at her again, but with that her bravery was spent. "Don't leave me!" she cried and fell forward lightly onto his chest, now devoid of arrow shafts. She gripped a handful of his tunic as she cried. He stroked her hair as Aragorn and Lisa came scooting in, in response to Boromir's S.O.S calls on the horn. He took her face in his hand and pointed her drowning eyes toward his own. "I will never leave you," he told her as if the thought was bizarre and unheard of, "Never. I will be with you always. You are a part of me. As long as you live, I live through you" She fell forward and hugged him tightly as the other three came into view. Boromir put an arm up around her and held her. Katie moved to go near them but Aragorn put out his arm. She looked up at him. With his eyes closed, he shook his head, so instead she watched. Jessi's whole body shook violently from crying so hard.

I'm so tired of being here.  
Suppressed by all my childish fears.  
And if you have to leave  
I wish that you would just leave   
'Cause your presents still lingers here  
And it won't leave me alone.

            "I love you, big brother," she whispered. "I love you too, little sister. Don't be afraid," he replied, and then his arm fell back to his side and his breath ceased.

 Jessi's scream of agony went up in the forest. She rocked backward on her knees with her hands fisted in the air. Her eyes leaked like flimsy dams. She screamed again and cried loudly, collapsing to the ground. Katie looked up at Aragorn, who nodded, and then she rushed forward, followed by Lisa. They knelt on either side of her and sat her back up. Her body moved like a rag doll. She had given up control of her body and went limp. The three men moved forward. "Rest in peace, son of Gondor," said Aragorn, paying his last respects. Legolas said an elvish prayer as Gimli bowed his head. Katie and Lisa tried to get Jessi to do something, but she had stopped all functions, including crying. For a moment they worried that she was dead. Aragorn knelt before them and studied Jessi's face. "This loss did greater harm to her than any wound she gained in the battle," he said compassionately, "But I can only heal her physical hurts" She remained motionless as he spoke. When Aragorn rose Katie turned to Lisa and tried to ask, "But shouldn't she have known that Boromir was going to…" but she was silenced by Lisa. They decided to send Boromir's body down the river with tokens of the enemies he had killed. Aragorn had Katie, Lisa, and Gimli collect tokens with him and had Legolas attempt to bring Jessi around, which he did eventually do. She just broke down again and cried on his shoulder.

These wounds won't seem to heal.  
This pain is just too real.  
There's just too much that time cannot erase.  
When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears.  
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears.  
And I held your hand through all of these years  
But you still have...all of me

            When Boromir and all that would go with him had been loaded into a boat, Aragorn turned his attention to Jessi. "Let me have a look at you," he said, "Are you badly hurt?" The crying had ceased but her cheeks were still shimmering with fresh tears. She drew a weak breath. "My shoulder hurts me most," she said. She had been holding her right shoulder, which still had the broken end of an arrow shaft sticking out of it. "It's from the arrow that pierced his heart," she explained, "He moved to protect me, but the arrow went right through him and hit my shoulder. Then I saw in his eyes that he knew he would die. Aragorn, I don't care about my injuries. We must leave soon. I want revenge for his death" Aragorn looked at her sadly. He could see the hate and the hurt inside.

"Then at least allow me to remove the arrow head from the wound. You'll be in no shape for a hunt if you are injured," he said. She nodded and tossed back her cloak. Aragorn removed the arrow and bandaged her shoulder the best he could.

You used to captivate me   
by your resonating mind   
now I'm bound by the life you left behind.  
Your face it haunts   
my once pleasant dreams   
your voice it chased away   
All of the sanity in me.  
  


The three girls stood on the bank as the three men released Boromir to the river. Jessi was wrapped in Boromir's fur cloak that he had given her when she had lost her blankets in Moria and they had been given cloaks by Galadriel. She had stopped crying, but Katie and Lisa would have preferred that to her agonizing silence. That just meant it was simmering inside of her and doing internal damage instead of being released. They each had an arm around her, but knew it brought little comfort. Her jaw quivered as the boat disappeared over the falls, but she still made no sound. As soon as he was gone form sight a new mood took her and she shook off her friends. She pulled on her backpack and made sure the other packs were ready to go.  She chucked each bag to its owner in turn. In her rage she hurled the bags harder than she meant to. Lisa turned to Katie as she rubbed her wrist. "So when she's pissed she turns into Brett Farve?" she whispered. Katie shrugged, not quite understanding. Jessi stood impatiently under a tree as she waited for Aragorn to lead the way. He stood in front of her. "We will go quickly," he said to them all, "We must save Merry and Pippin. Boromir's death will not be in vein" He turned and hurried into the trees. All followed him quickly. Jessi spent most of the charge in a dreamlike state, with her hand gripping the hilt of her sword. Boromir's face kept smiling at her. She remembered…

…in the darkness of Moria. "Are you cold?"

"A little. I lost my blankets near the well"

"You spent the night with no cover?!"

"Yeah. But it was fine…really. I can do without certain things"

"You can have my blanket"

"No, you keep it. You need it"

"No, you take it. You need it more"

"Boromir! I'm not taking your blanket!"

Silent thought.

"Here…take my cloak at least. It will serve as a blanket. You can wrap it around you"

"It's your cloak. You need to use that. Plus, I have one anyway"

"No, you have a jacket. This will be warmer. Besides, I only need during the day. You use it at night.    Alright?"

"I'm not going to win this one am I?"

"Not even if I have to sit on you all night to make sure you're warm"

…the same look of determination was on his face while he was taking the arrow for her. Her hand clenched around her hilt.

These wounds won't seem to heal.  
This pain is just too real.  
There's just too much that time cannot erase.  
When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears.  
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears.  
And I held your hand through all of these years  
But you still have...all of me  
I tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone.  
But though you're still with me I've been alone all along.  
  
  


They ran on for a couple days. Gimli and Lisa huffed along at a steady pace practically dragging a whipped out Katie along with them. Aragorn and Legolas bounded along tirelessly. Jessi was not thinking about the run. If she had, she would have noticed that her heart was beating hard enough to burst. Her thirst for vengeance was enough to keep her going. Her theory was that if she didn't stop, maybe she could get to the orcs before the Riders of Rohan did. But that night the company decided to rest, and Aragorn refused to let her go on alone. That night while Aragorn, Gimli, Lisa and Katie slept, she attempted to sneak away from a preoccupied Legolas. She crept a little ways away from the company when her shoulder gave a pang on pain. She dropped to the ground and let out a muffled 'meh'. Legolas turned and hurried over to her. She waved him away and went back to her spot. Legolas went back to his watch, which now included Jessi. But she had no more thoughts of escape. She lied on her back staring at the sky. She was in shock. It had been a pain, but the kind of pain you get from a parent slapping your hand. It had a certain loving feeling to it. But she came to understand. 'Boromir,' she thought with dark, sarcastic irony, 'You don't want me to seek revenge then? I'll stay with them. Just…don't do that again' She was almost laughing to herself when she received another shock. 'I'll do it again if I feel I must,' came an answer. It was more of a feeling of retort than an actual verbal reprimand. 'He is still here!' she thought in a confused excitement. 

'I told you I would be,' he responded. She was glad, but still at a loss. He was there, she knew, but it was a feeling as fleeting and fragile as water in her hand. The feeling reminded her of an egg yolk. If you hold it just right, it will hold and you can play with it. But if you try to touch it, even softly, it will melt away forever. However, the presence was enough to lull her to sleep, as she had a few last thoughts. She had lived her whole life before him with little trouble. She had been alone before. If she thought about it, she concluded that the stage she was at was an advancement on her prior life. Legolas heard the change in her breathing and was warmed that she was, for a time, at peace. Unfortunately it was only for a time. The next day would refresh the fury and pain that came with her loss. She was still very much alone and very much bound to a stinging emptiness.

_When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears.  
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears.  
And I held your hand through all of these years  
But you still have...all of me_

  
  



	3. Frog Leggs!

Hullo! This is turning into a regular ol' scrapbook of LOTR moments, huh? Oh well. No ones complained, yet. Well anyway, all previous disclaimers stand. The song "The First Cuts the Deepest" is like a cross between the Rod Stewart and Sheryl Crow versions. I don't have a special name for it. No cute little addition like 'in Rivendell' or 'Boromir'. It's, just, thing…Frog Legs! It's called Frog Legs. There is a story behind that, and if anyone actually cares I'll tell it to them. But unless I'm asked I won't bother. There will be a little more character involvement than in the previous. For my dear Anthy Kilik/Anshi Chan and Pop Flower, Lisa and Katie will be more involved due to prior exclusion. And for my NAGGING audience, there will be more Legolas. Though I'm not quite sure what you would like him to do. He's kinda quiet in the first place. Though I will attempt to honor that which thou hath requested. So any who…this picks up in Rohan. That is to say with Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, G-man, Lisa, Katie and the walking soap opera of sadness, whoa, fury and vengeance [being Jessi]. (*Pant, pant* It's getting to be a long list to recite) Gandalf and King Theoden have gone off to talk, leaving the rest of them standing on the porch, feeling like idiots standing on a porch…Ok…that was the corniest ever, I know. Just…let it go. Has anyone else noticed that the more stories I post, the longer my intros become? Does that bother anyone? (Inhale) Pfffffph! (That was a kind of exhaly…bored…sigh…thing) K! Well?! Here's the story. I suppose that's what ya came for. Unless you like my rants! Cause if you do I can continue. (The rest of the universe besides me: SHUT UP AND GET ON WITH IT!!!)   Yikes! Fine! I know when I'm not wanted! Here's your f&*#-ing story!

I would have given you all of my heart  
but there's someone who's torn it apart  
and he's taken just all that I have.

But if you want, I'll try to love again

Baby I'll try to love again but I know

Now rearmed the six of the company stood near the entrance of the great hall. Aragorn and Gimli stood patiently. Legolas doing the same only looking oh-so-very hot in the process (Hey! It's a start, right?). Katie kept herself entertained by making faces at guards that were unfortunate enough to walk past her. She even pursued some of them a little ways down the walk, making noises if she liked their responses. Jessi and Lisa sat on the steps, the only ones who were talking. "You've gotta get over this soon," Lisa was saying, "You knew he was going to die. You couldn't have prevented it. He wouldn't want you to be like this" Jessi looked at Lisa. "I know," she said, "I just miss him so much. There's a void in me right now. A big gaping hole. I don't know what to do.  I mean, I know I'll recover someday, but I don't know when" Lisa put her arm across Jessi's shoulders and they looked up at the blue sky for a little while. "You know," Lisa said, "There might be hope for you yet. You're less angry than before. Now you're just depressed. You need to find yourself a guy. Not to replace Boromir, but just to take up some space, you know. Fill up your heart a little bit; make less room for the hole. Probably someone who is a lot like Boromir. You follow?" Jessi gave a humorless laugh. "Yeah," she said sarcastically, "I need a boyfriend. That will make it all better" Lisa shrugged. "It might" It sounded absurd at first, but the more Jessi thought about it, the more sense it made. Maybe a swollen heart would help shrink the hole. 

The first cut is the deepest, baby I know  
The first cut is the deepest  
but when it comes to being lucky he's cursed  
and when it comes to lovin' me he's first  
  


            As Gandalf and Theoden finished their talk, Theoden stood up then sat back down. "Your fingers would remember their old strength better, if they grasped a sword-hilt," Gandalf said. Theoden reached for his sword but there was none there. Eomer, who had been arrested, and Hama, who was in trouble (PFM: Hee hee! Hama's in trouble.  AT: You mind if I tell this story?   PFM: _You mind if I tell this story?_  AT: Hey! Do you WANT me to kill you?   PFM: Eep! No.) had come up the stairs and Eomer offered the king his sword. "The King don't seem real happy," Katie whispered to Legolas. "He feels betrayed," he said, "How would you act?" Katie nodded in a rare understanding. She thought Theoden was scary and thought that he was going to yell at Eomer, but both she and Lisa jumped when he took up Eomer's sword and swung it around, appearing to grow stronger in the act, and shouted the rallying call of the Rohirrim. It was decided that Theoden would lead his people to war. He offered to ready a guesthouse for the company and give them a meal, but Aragorn declined and volunteered them to go with the Rohirrim. Lisa and Jessi pounced on Katie before she could scream her protests. As Wormtongue was dragged out of the hall, Katie quite complaining and jumped behind Legolas. "He's soooo creepy," she wailed. She repeated her squeal when Gandalf was yelling at Worm tongue. And again when Eomer was yelling at him. Theoden gave Wormtongue the choice of joining the war or taking a horse to where ever he wanted to go. He spit at the king and took off. "Eww!" all three girls squabbled in unison. After instructing his men not to shoot the worm, Theoden called the company into the hall to 'take such refreshment as haste allows'. Already heralds were rallying the people for war. Jessi paused for a moment, looking down on the city. Almost the only people about were the men that would go to war. The men of Rohan were all tall and broad, but one form she saw that was less tall and less broad. His hair was shorter than others in a way that seemed to express that he had not lived long enough for it to match a grown man's. Yet he was preparing for war. He seemed to feel her watching him. He stopped where he stood and looked up toward the hall. She was standing alone on the porch, and he was amid a rush of people. Somehow he knew she was watching only him.

I still want you by my side  
just to help me dry the tears that I've cried  
and I'm sure gonna give you a try  
if you want, I'll try to love again

            After they had eaten and had a little pow-wow of war plans, they started getting ready to leave. Men came in with war gear. Aragorn and Legolas took coats of mail and helmets and shields. Gandalf took nothing and Gimli took a type of helmet and a shield. The girls were just tall enough to fit in mail shirts that had been made for very young men. They chose not to take helmets, but they each took a light shield. Katie was studying her new gear and had a thought. "Uh, excuse me," she said, "but do we have to walk to where ever we're going in this stuff?" Theoden smiled at her. "No," he responded, "We will go on horseback" Another thought. "OK," she said, "But...this time, can we ride our own horses?" Theoden nodded still smiling. After Theoden appointed Eowyn the temporary ruler, they set off away from the hall. Gimli was complaining to Legolas about not wanting to be a lump of a saddlebag, behind Gandalf. "A safer seat than many, I guess," said Legolas, "Yet doubtless Gandalf will gladly put you down on your feet when blows begin; or Shadowfax himself. An axe is no weapon for a rider" The three girls trailed them quietly, now accustomed to Gimli's pining. "And a dwarf is no horseman," he told Legolas, "It is orc-necks I would hew, not shave the scalps of men" he patted his axe as they neared the city gate where the Rohirrim stood mounted and waiting. Aragorn was given the same horse he had ridden in on. Legolas and Gimli shared their horse once again, but the girls weren't sure what to do. They stood fidgeting for a moment until Eomer rode up to them. "Over there," he said, and pointed, "Those men have horses for you" They thanked him and hurried over to three figures, each with two horses. One of them was the boy Jessi had seen earlier. He looked about 15, same as them. He recognized her and gestured her over. "Have you ever ridden a horse before?" he asked sweetly. "I have," she answered, aware that her knees were shaking, "I'm not to bad a rider. Just need steering directions. Everywhere you go the horses are trained differently" She was amazed that she said it all without stuttering. He was very charming. He smiled at her. She almost fainted. Katie and Lisa exchanged a glance. They had marched over and snatched up the reins. They would have been insulted if the men had asked them if they knew how to ride. It was like asking a fish if it could swim. Lisa had explained her thoughts on heart repair to Katie, so they were all for Jessi attaching to this guy. "This is Narol," he told Jessi, "He's a good horse. Let me help you on" It was not necessary for him to help her and he knew that. She was quite aware of how to get into a saddle, in fact mounting and dismounting was one of her favorite things about riding. But she didn't complain. "If you need anything, let me know," the boy said, climbing onto his own horse, "My name is Reomal" Already, Jessi was starting to feel better than she had that morning. "I'm Jessi," she told him, smiling.

Baby, I'll try to love again, but I know  
  


            "Oh, good grief, how cute is he?" Jessi said to Lisa and Katie. Her boy-crazy energy that they had always found amusing was returning after a long vacation that began when they had first entered Middle Earth. Reomal was well out of earshot, so they spoke openly of him. Lisa smiled. "I told you that you needed a boy," she gloated. "He is pretty hot," Katie said, stating the obvious. Jessi was in better spirits than she had been, but she hadn't smiled again yet. "OK. So I like him, but," she started, "How do I know if he likes me" Lisa and Katie gave her incredulous looks and rolled their eyes. "Please," said a voice, "_Let me help you on?_" They turned to look at who was talking as a deeper voice added, "You have him well ensnared, lass" Legolas and Gimli had been listening to their conversation and now rode up next to them. "Your human courting is so subtle it almost doesn't happen," said Legolas, "Elves take their time courting, but that's because they have time. If you don't talk to him, nothing will ever happen" Jessi lowered her eyebrows at him. "Since when are you Dr. Love?" she asked. He put his hands up defensively and smiled. "I'll have you know," she told him edgily, "I was going to talk to him later. I'm just not sure what to say" "Why not just tell him he's caught your fancy?" suggested Gimli, "No sense in games at a time like this" There was obvious truth in this. There wasn't time for playing at things. But maybe she shouldn't get attached. A lot of people die in Helm's Deep. What if he was a casualty? That would tear her heart open again. They all seemed to be thinking on the same wavelength now. "It's a risk," Lisa admitted, "But it might be worth it" Jessi said nothing. What would Boromir say? He never had a girlfriend. He probably had no advice for this. She couldn't possibly find out right then. She could only talk to him when it was quiet and peaceful. With the noise of riding and excitement of setting out, she wouldn't hear his responses. The others watched her quietly and for a while she made no sign. Her eyes were fixed in one place, as they always were when she was deep in thought. "I won't risk it," she said finally, "Unless he makes the first move, I won't get attached" 

"What if he says something to you?" Katie asked. Jessi shrugged. "Depends on what he said I guess," she replied, "Don't you go telling him to talk to me! I don't want you to go pressure him into saying things he doesn't mean wholeheartedly. You either" She pointed at Lisa. 

"I'm not going to say anything," Lisa assured her. "Me neither," insisted Katie sourly. Legolas looked over his shoulder at Gimli, who looked right back at him.

_The first cut is the deepest, baby I know  
The first cut is the deepest  
but when it comes to being lucky he's cursed  
and when it comes to lovin' me he's first  
  
_

            They rode late into the night. The sky was velvety black when they finally stopped. They set a ring of mounted guards, sent out riders and lit no fires. The three girls, Legolas and Gimli sat in a group, talking a while before turning in. As they started setting up for sleep, Jessi recalled that she had left Boromir's cloak (her blanket, that she needed or she couldn't sleep) with Narol. As the others lied down, she walked to her horse. She was stroking his neck, until she spun around, drawing her sword. Her blade was level with Reomal's throat. "Don't sneak up on people like that," she said breathlessly and put her sword back in it's sheath. "Sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to scare you, but I didn't want to wake anyone" She waved her hand a little. "Don't worry about it," she told him, "I'm just glad I didn't hurt you" He smiled a relieved smile. "Me too. Where did you get that kind of skill?" he asked, "I mean, you heard me coming and your aim was dead on" She turned back to her horse and started undoing the straps on her saddlebag. She was waiting for her heart to return to a normal beat. "Well," she said, "Aragorn taught me how to listen and Boromir taught me how to handle a sword. They're both good teachers" Reomal nodded, putting his hands on his hips. He had been told who Boromir was and what he meant to her. "They must be," he said, then in an abrupt change of topic, "I like you. I know we don't really know each other, but there's something about you I can't get enough of, something I could fall in love with" She stopped and let her head drop. She turned slowly to look at him. "You've got to be kidding," she said, "Who put you up to it? Lisa or Katie?" He shook his head. "Neither," he answered truthfully, "I wasn't going to say anything to you, but I was tipped off that you had an interest in me. I do feel that given the time I could fall in love with you. I wasn't going to mention it because I didn't think you would feel the same. Someone told me you did. Were they wrong?" "No," she admitted, "It's true. I do feel that way. I'm glad we told each other, truly I am. I hope we can pursue this, but I told them not to mention it. I'm not sure we have time to spare on a relationship right now" Reomal smiled again. "We can squeeze it in between breaths," he said, "I think it could work" Jessi sighed. "Maybe," she said, "Its just that...well, I'm kind of trying to deal with the loss of someone close to me right now. We can probably go with it, but very slowly" She reached out and took his hand. He looked at her deeply. "Slowly," he agreed. She smiled at him humbly. "Just one more thing," she said softly, "Who told you?"

_I still want you by my side  
just to help me dry the tears that I've cried  
but I'm sure gonna give you a try  
cause if you want, I'll try to love again_

_Baby, I'll try to love again, but I know  
  
_

            "Elf!" Jessi bellowed as she rejoined her companions, "You told him, Legolas? I told you not to say anything" They all jumped. Legolas looked up at her innocently. "No. You never told me not to say anything," he said, "You told Katie and Lisa not to say anything. You never once made reference to me, or Gimli" Jessi pointed angrily at him. "I didn't think I'd have to. You deceived me," she sputtered, then she softened, "But, thank you" She dropped to her knees where he was laying and hugged him around the neck. "You are welcome," he said, "Good night" They all said goodnight and fell back asleep with a fresh sense of happiness. Jessi curled up and pulled Boromir's cloak up over her shoulders and fell sound asleep to his smell. (PFM: Gross! B.O.   AT: You're a dork.  PFM: Duh!   AT: I don't mean a bad smell. Certain people just have scents to them. Usually they aren't bad.    PFM: Alrighy then Dog Girl.)

_The first cut is the deepest, baby I know  
The first cut is the deepest  
when it comes to being lucky he's cursed  
and when it comes to lovin' me he's first  
  
_

            They woke the next morning to horns being blown around them. Within an hour they were on the trail again, going forward with great speed. Many times through the morning, Reomal caught Jessi's eye and they smiled at each other. It was like they had a secret, a secret that gave them a new reason to get up in the morning. Whenever Legolas saw this he couldn't help but laugh to himself. Lisa, Katie and Gimli were just glad she was smiling again. It was their own little secret.

_The first cut is the deepest,_

_Baby I know, the first cut is the deepest_

_Try to love again_

            So...what'd ya think? Lisa and Katie: more involvement. Legolas: more involvement(Did I do better?). Gimli: kinda fun to have around. OK. Well I liked it. It wasn't the easiest one to write either so I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know either way. Suggestions are always appreciated, even if I call you a nag for them. I don't really mean it. I love anyone who actually sticks with it and reads all the way through my crap. Thank you SpiderSquirrel! I hope that's what you were looking for. Oh yeah, SS (SpiderSquirrel), Boromir rocks! There should be more additions to this songfic collection, so stay tuned. Ta ya'll.


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